Roman Shades: Timeless Style Meets Modern Function

Roman shades are a classic window treatment option that combines functionality with timeless design, making them a popular choice for homes throughout Savannah and the Lowcountry.

At Savannah Window Fashions, we guide our clients through the design process to ensure their custom window treatments meet both practical needs and personal style. We love incorporating Roman shades into our projects, as they offer a wide range of design and functionality options for a range of light control and privacy needs.

Understanding Roman Shade Styles

The style of your Roman shade can dramatically impact the character of your room. Three popular styles we work with often are Flat Roman Shades, Relaxed Roman Shades, and Top-Down-Bottom-Up Roman Shades.

Flat Roman Shades feature smooth, clean lines and form neat horizontal folds when raised. This tailored look works beautifully in modern spaces and when using patterned fabrics. It’s best to avoid smooth solid fabrics and anything with a sheen as the places where rings are sewn will be very visible.

Relaxed Roman Shades gently curve at the bottom when raised, offering a casual sophistication perfect for breakfast nooks and family rooms. This style brings softness to a space while maintaining functionality.

Top-Down-Bottom-Up Roman Shades offer the ultimate in light control and privacy. This innovative design allows you to lower the shade from the top, raise it from the bottom, or both - giving you precise control over natural light and views while maintaining privacy. It's an excellent choice for street-level windows, bathrooms, or any space where you want to balance light and privacy throughout the day. The top-down feature lets you welcome natural light from above while keeping the lower portion of your window covered.

Materials That Matter

Fabric Roman Shades provide unlimited design flexibility. With a wide range of fabrics, you can choose the color, pattern, and texture that best reflects your personal style. The extensive selection of trim details allows you to create a completely bespoke design, ensuring your shades are a perfect fit for your room.

Woven Wood Shades bring natural texture and warmth to your windows. Made from sustainable materials like bamboo, grass, and reeds, these shades add organic beauty to any room. They're particularly striking in living areas where they can filter light while maintaining a connection to the outdoors.

Customization Options

Customization is at the heart of what we do, and Roman shades are no exception. We can tailor your shades to meet specific light control needs by incorporating different linings—room-darkening options are ideal for bedrooms, while light filtration may be better suited for living areas.

Decorative details like contrast banding, trim, or decorative borders can be incorporated almost anywhere on the shade. For woven wood shades, adding a twill edge banding creates a polished look while also providing added stability.

Mounting Options

The way your Roman shade is mounted can enhance both its function and appearance. There are two primary mounting methods to consider, inside and outside.

Inside Mount positions the shade within the window frame, creating a clean, built-in look that showcases your window trim. This mounting style works well when you have deep window casings and want to highlight architectural details. Inside mounting requires precise measurements and adequate depth in your window frame to accommodate the shade's operating mechanism, and some styles are better suited to outside mount due to inherent light gaps on the sides when shades are raised.

Outside Mount installation places the shade on or above the window frame, extending beyond the window's edges. This method is ideal for windows with shallow frames, when you want to make a window appear larger, or when you need to mount the shade higher. Outside mounting can also help conceal imperfect window frames or create a more dramatic statement. This approach also provide more light control when room darkening is a priority.

Modern Operating Systems

Traditional cord-draw systems are no longer available due to safety concerns for children and pets. Today's Roman shades offer several safe, convenient operating options.

Continuous chain loops provide smooth operation for smaller shades.

Spring lift mechanisms are easy to use and provide a clean look without any chains or cords.

Motorized options offer the ultimate in convenience, especially for hard-to-reach windows.

Important Considerations

When selecting Roman shades, we consider these key factors:

Window Location: Front-facing windows require attention to both interior and exterior appearance. Some operating systems, like spring lift mechanisms, may not present as well from the outside.

Window Height: Tall windows often benefit from motorization, while standard-height windows can work well with manual systems.

Room Function: Consider light control needs based on the room's purpose. Bedrooms might require room-darkening linings, while living spaces might benefit from light-filtering options.

Material Selection: High-humidity areas like bathrooms and kitchens need materials that can withstand moisture. In these spaces, certain fabrics may perform better than woven woods. And thick, heavy fabrics aren’t an ideal choice for Roman shades, because they prevent the fabric from folding neatly into crisp pleats when raised.

Ready to explore Roman shade options for your Savannah home? Contact our team at Savannah Window Fashions for expert guidance through the selection and design process. We'll help you create window treatments that perfectly balance beauty and function while meeting your specific needs.